Logan Paul should be OFF YouTube | OPINION

The following contains language that might not be suitable for some viewers.

It’s no secret that we here at WOBM try and write as locally as possible because keeping our listeners (and viewers) connected locally is what makes us unique. While what I am writing about today is not Ocean County local, it definitely is an issue that affects all corners of the world - including Ocean County.

Logan Paul has been a contributor on Youtube for quite a while, and during that time he racked up millions of viewers, subscribers, and created his own brand that he profits from. Paul has gone on to be featured on late night talk shows, reality shows, and there is even rumor of a movie opportunity.

Logan and his ‘squad’ recently took a trip to Japan and vlogged the whole experience and later uploaded it to his Youtube channel for his fans to watch. The video, that was later removed, showed Paul in Japan’s Aokigahara forest, locally known as “the suicide forest”. In the video Paul found a body hanging from a tree. He filmed the body and later panned over to himself saying something to the faction of “we just found a dead body” and began to chuckle. Paul later said that his chuckling was because he was because of his nerves.

At first, his fans loved it. The video got over 400,000 likes on Youtube and just a handful of dislikes. It took a few days for the “greater internet community” to find the video and that's when the fireworks started. Millions of people have seen the video and launched comment-campaigns against him and his brand, blacklisting him. Major news outlets like CNN and MSNBC wrote about the incident and posted it on their websites.

Paul issued a statement on his Twitter account shortly after the backlash:

The video showed an emotional Logan Paul apologizing for the disgraceful Youtube video. The apologetic plea did not seem to quell the amount resentment from the internet, and some celebrities even got involved:

Paul went on to mention that he would not be creating Youtube content for the time being to reflect on his actions:

The saddest part, in my opinion, is that Logan Paul is going to get out of this basically unscathed. His fans liked the video. It would be a different story if his fans disliked the video, but they didn’t. I will be honest with you, I never liked Logan Paul. I always thought that he was the product of materialism and good looks.

You have to be some kind of cold-hearted person to FILM another human being hanging lifelessly from a tree and then laugh about it. I think the most disgusting part was the fact that he was trying to mask the fact that he was laughing as “nervousness”.

Youtube needs to do a better job of monitoring their content creators. It should be a platform for good and not heartless things like this. At the very least, Youtube should not be monetizing creators like Paul who clearly is irrational (see how sad he really feels when it hits his wallet).

I think that his apology was a sham. I think he did it out of pressure. If the “greater internet community” didn’t discover the video, he would have kept it up.

The most unfortunate part of this whole ordeal is now the family is going to have to deal with Logan Paul in the back of their minds when they think of their loved family member that took their life. That above all is horrible.

Mental illness is real. Mental illness should NOT be joked about. Mental illness is everywhere, including Ocean County.

If you or someone you know is contemplating or has contemplated suicide, please call the National Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-8255